All the fist needs is an excuse. A flat, lazy, confused performance by the Denver Broncos defense. An August evening where confusion reigns for the Denver offense.

Then — with the force of a few million “Told ya sos” behind it — the fist will come crashing.

Josh McDaniels knows all that. And he’s way past worrying about it. At 33, seven months into his first head coaching job, he’s already battle-scarred. He sees the fist and he’s ready to duck it.

And — finally — he gets to counter-punch.

“I think that people have underestimated plenty of things through the past seven months,” McDaniels said by phone last week. “Everything that people say, everything that critics may want to write, it all rings hollow until the season. When you play the games, that’s when the truth is told.”

McDaniels’ rebuttal began last Friday night in Denver’s 17-16 exhibition loss at San Francisco. For the league’s 31 other head coaches, the first preseason game is relatively meaningless. For McDaniels, it was his chance to begin answering those who believe he’s in over his head.

“With all the distractions we’ve had this offseason, it will be good for everybody to get moving into Josh’s first year — for us to play, for him to coach and for our team to start to shut some people up,” said Broncos wide receiver Jabar Gaffney.

McDaniels never got a honeymoon period in Denver. Hired in January to take over after franchise icon Mike Shanahan was stunningly fired after a 14-year run, the early debate was whether A) Shanahan needed to go and B) whether McDaniels, a longtime Patriots assistant coach and offensive coordinator, was ready to take over a team.

Before that debate was put to rest, the Jay Cutler Affair blew up in late February. To Cutler, the Broncos talented young quarterback, the fact McDaniels would entertained the possibility of trading him and replacing him with former Pats quarterback Matt Cassel was a betrayal. Through March, McDaniels worked to allay Cutler’s concerns while making sure it was clear the head coach wasn’t answerable to the quarterback. But Cutler wouldn’t forgive and move on. He dug in his heels, demanded a trade and was shipped to the Bears.

When the deal was made in early April, few people cared about the bounty of picks Denver got in exchange for Cutler or whether ex-Bears quarterback Kyle Orton could cut it with the Broncos. Nobody was talking about the fact that McDaniels coordinated the most devastating offense in league history, the 2007 Patriots with their 75 touchdowns and 18-1 record. It was forgotten that, in 2008, McDaniels had helped Cassel — a career backup and an ineffective one at that — lead the Pats to an 11-5 record.

The conversation was, basically, whether Josh McDaniels had ruined his career in Denver in his first 70 days on the job.

Ignore the football debate for a moment and consider how harsh the mental challenge must have been for McDaniels. He’d worked the levels of football to get to this point. From being a kid playing football in Canton, Ohio learning from his father, Thom, an Ohio coaching legend. To being a quarterback/wide receiver for a Division III program, John Carroll University. To a succession of gofer jobs, assistant’s jobs and then the coordinator’s job in New England.

Then, having been rewarded for his diligence with his own team, McDaniels had turned into a punching bag for reasons that had nothing to do with Xs and Os.

Yet asked if he had regrets, McDaniels doesn’t pause.

“I have not second-guessed myself or anything that this organization has done (this offseason),” McDaniels said “You have to be able to decide what’s best for the football team not only ‘now’ but going forward. Sometimes those decisions are hard to make but you make them. And when you make them you don’t look back on them, you just do everything in your power to make it the right decision.”

McDaniels’ response is a learned one.

During eight seasons in New England, McDaniels watched as Patriots head coach Bill Belichick parried second-guessing and controversy. From quarterback changes to the so-called “Spygate” dustup, Belichick’s ability to chart a course then not waver from it was maddening to outsiders but ideal for an NFL coach.

“Bill had a great ability to focus on what was in front of him,” said McDaniels. “Draft, free agency, mini-camps, training camp, games. If you paid attention and listened and watched intensely, you learned that, in order to handle his role you have to be able to switch gears. You can’t help but learn being around him.”

Belichick says he’s talked to McDaniels “more than a couple of times” since he’s gone to Denver but not to give advice. “I don’t think that’s our relationship,” Belichick said this week. “He’s coaching his team, I’m coaching my team and everybody else is coaching their team. It’s more (coaching and team-related discussions) than fatherly advice.”

Asked whether “decisiveness” is a valuable asset, Belichick corrects and says, “The most important thing for a head coach is to make good decisions. Whatever that means in relation to your team. We’ve all made bad decisions, but once you’ve made a decision that you find out is not the right one you try to change it.”

There is no proof yet that any of McDaniels’ decisions have been bad. But the evidence is about to start pouring in.

“Everyone wants to know how he’ll coach, how the team will respond,” said Gaffney, one of several ex-Patriots McDaniels brought with him to Denver. “A lot of questions will be answered after this first game. (McDaniels) has shown leadership since day one. He’s put his foot down, put in his system and he expects people to perform at a high level. I haven’t had to defend him. Everybody trusts him and believes in him. Nobody is questioning his leadership. We’re coming together and everyone can finally see that if we go out there and do things right and trust in him and trust in the system he’ll put us in a position to win.”

Heading into this first season, McDaniels is buoyant.

“I see a change in our team and an understanding from our players and staff of the philosophy I’m trying to implement on how we will prepare to win,” he said. “Not just to play, but to win. They are grasping what we’re asking of them.”

The offseason from hell is almost over. McDaniels’ Broncos are currently tied for the best record in the NFL (with 31 other teams) at 0-0.

“This job is everything I thought it would be and I’m excited to get to the part of the year where you’re truly judged,” he said. “I can’t wait to get started.”

Sounds like all this "controversy" that the media puts out there has done nothing but bring the players closer together.

He is the harbinger of their ultimate DOOM coming in the regular season.

Their offseason of FAIL has been legendary. The fact that he showed up at the same time is not coincidence.

Probably, at some point, a prophecy was made that a dumbass Broncos fan of EPIC proportions would show up on Chiefsplanet, make completely ignorant statements about the Denver Broncos, be ridiculed far and wide, and generally be hated.

And then the Broncos would SUCK at a HIGH LEVEL for 16 games. And he would be destroyed.

Everything happens for a reason.

KnowMo2724 has a purpose.

THE ULTIMATE RIDICULE

This fall EVERYTHING he has posted will come back to haunt him. He will be the poster boy for Denver's awful season.

And it will be a shitload of fun.

__________________
Better to be the bastard child of a king and his whore than to be a ****ing peasant at the shite homer trough.

Alright, so he was playing on the road. But even the Broncos faithful had to be encouraged with what they saw on television.

Orton threw for 177 yards in the first half against Seattle, leading the Broncos to ten points in their first two possessions. Only a drop in the end zone by Jabar Gaffney kept Orton from having a nearly perfect night.

After the Jabar gaffe, the Broncos went for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the one. With pressure coming from his right side, Orton made a Jake Plummer-like left-handed throw that was picked off in the end zone. The blooper-reel-worthy play marred an otherwise impressive effort, which included many plays straight out of the 2008 Patriots playbook.

"I've got a lot of confidence right now," Orton told the Denver Post. "This is the best offense I've ever played with. I've got a lot of talent around me."

Perhaps Orton's most talented teammate, Brandon Marshall, was left behind in Denver. Coach Josh McDaniels commented vaguely about it after the game.

"Every player who was ready and able to play in this game was here, and all the guys we didn't think were ready and able stayed back home," McDaniels said.

After the game, there was some question regarding the availability of Orton's backup Chris Simmsm who left the game with an ankle injury, and who was seen on crutches after the game.

So, whether Broncos fans like it or not, Orton is going to be their man.

And they should save their boos for another quarterback; Jay Cutler and the Bears visit Denver next Sunday night on NBC.

SEATTLE ó Bring it on, Jay Cutler. Come back to town next week with that big arm and nonchalant attitude.

The Broncos will have a quarterback of their own waiting to match right-handed pass for right-handed pass.

Kyle Orton may not be able to match Cutler mph per mph. And his desperation left-handed throws may only conjure up images of Jake Plummer, not Cutler.

But Orton is not one to blink. Knock him, boo him, bruise him, curse him. Just don't expect Orton, the man who replaced Cutler as the Broncos' quarterback this season, to crumble under heavy criticism.

Coming within a dropped pass by Jabar Gaffney of delivering a near-flawless performance, Orton settled for an encouraging effort in the Broncos' 27-13 preseason loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night.

Orton was examined harshly following an inauspicious Broncos debut last week when he threw three interceptions in his first three possessions during a loss at San Francisco. He fired back with sweet redemption in preseason game No. 2.

Down 7-0 before stepping on the field in Qwest Stadium, arguably the loudest venue in the NFL, Orton completed 6-of-8 passes while leading the Broncos on a 78-yard scoring drive that culminated with a 3-yard touch pass to Brandon Stokley in the end zone.

"I've got a lot of confidence right now," Orton said after the game. "This is the best offense I've ever played with. I've got a lot of talent around me."

Broncos coach Josh McDaniels not only didn't waver in his faith in Orton following the San Francisco debacle last week, he didn't let backup quarterback Chris Simms take any first-team reps during the final week of training camp.

Orton rewarded his coach's trust. He followed his touchdown drive by going 3-for-3 in his second drive to move within field-goal range for kicker Matt Prater.

Orton finished the first quarter with a 131.8 passer rating by completing 9-of-11 for 92 yards and the touchdown.

"He played fairly well. There is still some room for improvement," McDaniels said. "He did what we think he's capable of doing, which is throwing the ball accurately and moving the offense."

His strong performance should ease tension as the Broncos get ready to play their preseason home opener next Sunday night in a nationally televised game against Cutler and the Chicago Bears.

Cutler passed for more than 4,500 yards for the Broncos last season and earned his first Pro Bowl berth, but a late-season collapse cost coach Mike Shanahan his job after 14 seasons. An offseason rift with McDaniels, Shanahan's replacement, preceded a trade that sent Cutler to the Bears in exchange for Orton and draft picks.

Orton arrived in Denver with a reputation as a game manager, a quarterback who wasn't flashy but had a knack for playing just well enough to win. While Cutler had a 17-20 record with the Broncos, Orton was 21-12 as a starter with the Bears.

Not that Broncoland was sold on Orton's abilities last week in San Francisco. Although Orton moved the ball against the 49ers, one turnover led to another.

With all eyes nervously upon him Saturday, Orton responded. Besides his two scoring drives in the first quarter, Orton directed the Broncos on another long march to the Seahawks' 1-yard line in the second.

But a pass went through Gaffney's outstretched hands in the back of the end zone, and with the Broncos going for it on a fourth down, Orton was forced to make a what-do-I-have-to-lose gamble.

Under a heavy rush, Orton flipped the ball left-handed into the end zone. The ball wobbled into the hands of Seattle defensive back Ken Lucas for an interception. It's the kind of maneuver Orton may want to reconsider during the regular season.

McDaniels also addressed his decision to not bring star receiver Brandon Marshall on the trip.

"Every player who was ready and able to play in this game was here, and all the guys we didn't think were ready and able stayed back home," he said.

Asked if that meant physically able or mentally able, McDaniels said "both."

Had Jabar Gaffney snagged Kyle Orton's pass in the end zone, everyone would be talking about Orton's stellar performance. Instead, the most talked-about moment will be the QB's left-handed red-zone interception two plays later.

Key stat

-6

After Tony Scheffler's and Kenny McKinley's fumbles in the third quarter, the Broncos now have six turnovers (four interceptions and two fumbles) in the preseason without creating one. The Broncos' defense caused only 13 turnovers in the 2008 regular season.
Did you notice?

Prater in a good place

Matt Prater should be feeling plenty secure about his job. First, he was given the chance to rest during training camp to stay fresh, then he hit a 53-yard field goal in the first quarter Saturday night.

At 5-foot-11, 217 pounds, Moreno is a mirror image of future Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson. Everything that they do on the field is comparable, from their ability to their physique, even their versatility; itís all eerily similar. And the irony is that Moreno ended up in the AFC West, the same division that Tomlinson tore up for the last decade. Moreno is a tremendously gifted offensive weapon who finished his career at Georgia with 1,400 yards and 16 touchdowns. He runs with outstanding pad level, displays great vision and tremendous cutback ability. He has a quick first step and is lethal on the edge. Heís deceptively strong between the tackles and will fight for extra yards. Heís faster than his timed speed suggests and has the potential to take it the distance from anywhere on the field. Moreno plays with a lot of emotions and is a high energy player who can occasionally be taken out of his game if heís not productive. The upside of Moreno is limitless, his talent is obvious, and judging from the success that the í08 running back class had in the NFL last year, donít be surprised if heís the starter on opening day.[/b]

Again, comparing Moreno to Tomlinson is a bit unfair, but when you watch footage of Tomlinson at TCU and Moreno at Georgia, you canít help but compare the two. The running styles of Tomlinson and Moreno are very similar. When Tomlinson starred at TCU, he held the ball up high and tight in the open field (heís lowered the ball a bit over the years), not allowing defenders the opportunity to force it out. Moreno carries the ball in the same manner, and thatís why he rarely fumbles.

Their ability to get through the smallest crease and use their animal-like vision to cut smoothly is uncanny. Their body build is average in stature, but strong and compact, and can take a pounding between the tackles. Theyíre savvy enough to realize if they go down when crowded by defenders they will avoid a big hit. They possess toughness in pass protection and are aware of their surroundings to be able to slip out in the flat and provide their quarterback with a passing option.

Moreno is a tremendously gifted offensive weapon who is a threat to take it to the house any time he touches the ball. He runs with outstanding pad level, displays great vision and cutback ability. He has a quick first step and is lethal on the edge. Heís deceptively strong between the tackles and will fight for extra yards. He shows patience, waits for his blockers to set up in front of him and instantly hits the hole. Heís dangerous out of the backfield in the passing game flashing reliable hands, shifty moves and a second-gear that takes him the distance. Heís a determined player who will do whatever it takes for his team to win.

Iíve made no secret that Moreno is one of my favorite players in this draft, or frankly any draft, and there is a good reason. Too often we make a big deal about size/speed, especially at the HB position, but there are tons of HOF/Pro-bowl backs who donít have exceptional size/speed combinations but make up for it in other ways. IMO, Moreno is one of those backs. He has the best balance Iíve seen, the best pass blocking Iíve seen, and the greatest intensity Iíve seen in the few years Iíve been scouting. Heís a good all-around back capable of running any play, and as a receiver he is excellent at generating 1st downs. Two players I am reminded of are Shaun Alexander (due to vision and inside running, but Moreno is a killer blocker and receiver where Alexander was poor at both) and Clinton Portis (the 2005+ version who is a great blocker and inside runner, not the 200lber from college), and I feel Moreno could be better than either because he truly is the best thing about each of those two backs. While I donít recommend drafting a RB #4 overall due to money and the overall fungible nature of the RB position, Moreno had huge success behind a pretty bad Georgia OL and if given a decent OL I see pro-bowls and possibly Canton in Morenoís future.